Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Grim Reaper has been a cartoon cliche for decades and rightly so. What could be funnier than death? Okay, you're right, almost anything is, but still, he makes a terrific spokesperson for what is untenably a very unpopular product.

The surprising origins of the Grim Reaper are fascinating. The character first appeared in a Road Runner comic book in 1914, at the height of the Nazi scourge of Europe. Because Hitler invariably wore solid black, the color was assigned to G.R. The skeleton face, hands and feet were a recent addition, however, the original reaper had no face but the hands and feet of a house cat, presumably because they are such good hunters.

Most interesting of all, perhaps, is the implement G.R. never seems to be without. Most modern-day hominids assume it is a scythe, but according to the comic in which the character originated (Road Runner vs. The Black Terror, #45, page 13) the weapon is "wrought from the crooked limb of the baobab tree, fixed with the fang of a saber-toothed tiger."

Furthermore, the original character had a prominent upside-down star, or "pentagon," on his chest, the well-known symbol of the Nazi Party. Historians tell us, however, that even though they carried that name proudly, the Nazis were not particularly good party givers. Many personal accounts and documents from the era recount how stingy the Nazis were with snacks and libations and that their choice in party music was, "dour and sometimes downright dirge-like."

22 comments:

The Reaper and the Roadrunner. There has to be a movie or at least one cartoon in that. If it is just the roadrunner explaining to the reaper that a saber-tooth tiger fang is needed for starters. Or, I could see the reaper at a hardware store asking for a new fang, or trying to "shop-lift" a fang from the Smithsonian. Too many possibilities.

Also why do caskets need to be so nice, or why can't we bury people standing up or standing on their head? The dead don't care! I love the idea of green burial in fact...

...I actually believe feeding our dead to sharks makes more sense that burying them. I guess we don't want sharks to get too obese or lazy. I mean sharks hanging around the "meat boat" would be kind of gross. Also they might try for fresher product than the recent dead. But hey, I would rather feed sharks that take prime land up for eons.

those nazis were very stingy on the snacks, mealy soups and hose water, what kind of hospitality is that?! i agree, a plate of pickles would have been nice. chips, bean dip, a little guac, a shot of whisky, anything would have been better.

i think what i like best about GR is that he doesn't have to look threatening, or put off an ugly demeanor. all he has to do is appear, and people know what's up. it's always really funny when he is depicted as having a voice, and is usually like "sorry.. i'm just doing my job." that would be a tought job.. everywhere you go people are unhappy to see you. poor guy...

I had a look at the Wikipedia article, too (and in two languages, geek that I am). The image of the Grim Reaper is much older than the Roadrunner cartoon. I remembered it from a German folksong from the nineteenth century (the song is from the nineteenth century, not my memory of it), but it's an image from the Middle Ages apparently.

In a similar vein, could there be a cartoon in the fact that Coca Cola did NOT "invent Santa"...? Like Santa, or maybe even Mrs Claus (wherever she came from), writing to Coca Cola's complaints department?